India and China have reaffirmed their commitment to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and create an atmosphere for healthy and steady development of bilateral relations. The 25th Round of Talks between the Special Representatives (SR) of India and China on the Boundary Question was held in Beijing yesterday. Special Representative of China, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and Special Representative of India and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the India-China boundary question and reached eight points of outcomes and consensus. The two sides underlined their commitment to advancing negotiations on a framework for the settlement of the boundary question. It will be in accordance with the Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question signed in 2005 and the consensus reached in subsequent SR Talks in pursuit of a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution. The Expert Group on Boundary Delimitation and Working Group on Border Management under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination WMCC would respectively advance discussions on an Early and Substantial Harvest of boundary delimitation and Border Management. The first task for both these groups would be to agree on their respective Terms of Reference. India and China agreed that any situation on the ground would be addressed promptly through existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, local commander-level meetings and other agreed mechanisms, to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the LAC. The two sides discussed ways to improve understanding of LAC in appropriate areas, for better border management. With the objective to improve the border management measures, an additional two meeting points were agreed for holding the General Level Mechanism or Senior Highest Military Commander meeting. Similarly two additional channels of border military hotline in the Eastern and Middle Sectors were agreed. Both sides noted the progress on trans-border cooperation. The Indian side appreciated the efforts made by the Chinese side to increase the number of batches of Indian official pilgrimage Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Both sides appreciated the reopening of the three designated border trading points. The two sides agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in border trade, pilgrimage and other areas, with the view to work together to create an atmosphere featuring dialogue, peace, consultation and cooperation in the border areas. The two sides also agreed to hold the next meeting of the India-China Expert-Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers next month and maintain communication on issues including hydrological data sharing, and renewal of the relevant MoUs. India and China agreed to hold the 26th round of SR Talks in India next year.